Vania



U. WEDGE.

v FURNACE. APPLICATION FILED JAN.20|1`910 RENEWED JAN. 20,1916.

Patented Aug. 22, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

s rante opinion.

'UTLEY WEDGE, OF ARDMORE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE FURNACE PATEN '1 COMPANY, F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A. lCORPOE'IEQBT 0F BENNSYL- VANIA.

FUENACE.

To aZZ whom z' may concern.:

Be it known that I, UTLEY WEDGE, a citizen of the United States, residing in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to so construct a furnace designed for heating or roasting ores, concentrates, or the like, as to provide for the addition to the material under treatment, at an intermediate stage of such treatment, offluxes, reagents, or the like, hereinafter, for convenience, referred to as a reagent, for combination with or action upon the material during the final stage of its treatment.l .This object I attain in the manner hereinafter set forth, referenceobeing had to the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure I represents,in vertical section, a furnace constructed in accordance withmy invention; Fig. 2 is a similar section of the lower portion of the furnace, illustrating a modification, and Fig. 3 is a similar section illustrating a type of furnace, which, in the lower section, is mufiie-ired, this View also illustrating a special -feature of my invention not shown in the other views.

` tions of the hearth.

In the drawing, 1 represents the outer wall of the furnace, 2 a series of superposed hearthsand 3 a central hollow shaft, carrying `radial arms 5 which project into the working chambers of the furnace and are intended to carry stirring and feeding blades or rabbles of any appropriate character (not shown) these feeding blades or rabbles serving to mix the material lying upon the hearths of the furnace andto convey the same over said hearths from the inner to the outer or from the outer to the inner por- Preferablyv the roof of the furnace serves as a heating or drying floor for the green ore or concentrate and the shaft 3 is' provided with any suitable feeding device whereby the ore is deposited upon the uppermost hearth of the furnace through a trapped or luted passage'or passages in order to prevent the escape of gas from the uppermost working chamber into the room or apart- 'ment in which the furnace is situated.

for convenience, be.

The furnace may, said to be divided into two heating zones, the upper heating zone comprising, in the present instance, the four upper hearths and Specicationof Letters Patent.

seal the same, from the shelf zone of the furnace,

Patented Ang. 22, 1916 l Renewed January 20, 1916. Serial No. 73,210..

having an air inlet 7 and a gas outlet 9, and the lower heating zone comprising the three lower hearths and having air inlet or inlets 10 and gas outlet 1l, or, if desired, gas escaping from the lower heating zone may pass upwardly through the upper heating zone to the gas outlet of said upper heating zone. v

The passages for the material from the lower hearth of the upper heating zone to the upper hearth of the lower-heating zone may, if desired, be sealed against the flow of gas, the means shown in the present instance for e'ecting such seal being a shelf 12 upon which. the material flowing through the passage v6. is supported so as to backup the material into said passage and thereby the material being removed l2 at intervals by means of scrapers 13 attached to the stirrer arms 5 in the upper working chamber of the lower heating zone of the furnace, and a fresh supply of material then flowing onto the shelf 'from the passage 6, and being removed in its turn, and so on, indefinitely.

In order to effect the admixture, with the material traversing the lower heating zone o f'the furnace, of the desired reagent, I provide, between the arch of the uppermost working chamber of said lower heating zone of the furnace and the hearth of the lowermost working chamber of theupper heating p means for feeding said reagent into said upper chamber of the lower heating zone. In the present instance, this feeding device comprises one or more tubes 14, each having, at its outer end, a feed hopper 15 and communicating at its inner end with said upper working chamber of the lower heating Zone of the furnace, the tube containing a screw conveyer 16 or being provided with other means whereby the desired reagent may be fed through the same, or, because of the large diameter of the' central shaft 3 the reagent may be supplied to the lower heating zone of the furnace from the interior of said shaft. Fig. 2 illustrates one means for accomplishing this result. The hopper 15 and feed tube 14C are mounted upon and rotate with the shaft 3, ythe hopper being contained within said shaft, and thel feed tube having therein a screw conveyer 16 whose shaft projects inwardly beyond the lower portion of the hopper and is provided with abevel wheel iio 17 which meshes with a bevel wheel 19 on the upper end of a shaft 20, the latter turnms having, at its lower end, a bevel wheel 21 which meshes with a bevel wheel 22 at the inner end of a short horizontal shaft 23, adapted to a bearing in the hub of the large bevel wheel at the bottom of the shaft 3, the outer end of said shaft 23 having a spur wheel 24 which meshes with a fixed annular rack 25 on the bottom of the furnace strucf ture.

My improved furnace is adapted for the introduction of a flux for sintering or agglomerating, in the lower heating zone of the furnace, material which has been desulfurized or calcined during its passage through the upper member, or for the combination with the material traversing the lower heating zone of the furnace of a reagent for acting upon and splitting up compounds formed by the previous roasting of the material inthe upper member of the furnace, such f or instance, as salt for chloridizing purposes or carbonaceous matter for combining with sulfur contained in the material delivered from said upper member of the furnace, or other and analogous uses which will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art to which my invention appertains.

The two heating zones of the furnace may, in some cases, be in open communication with one another, instead of having said communication sealed against the flow of gas from one heating zone to the other.

In the furnace shown in Fig. 3 the treating chambers of the lower heating zone. of the funnace are mulle-fired, the heating gases being derived from a furnace or lireplace 26 and conveyed through suitable flues into the heating chambers 27 interposed between the arches and hearths of the treating chambers in said lower heating zone of the furnace, the heating gases escaping from these chambers 27 through suitable outlet flues 27a at the opposite side of the furnace.

Air for oxidizing purposes may be introduced into one or more of the treating chambers in the lower heating zone of the furnace directly through openings in the side walls of the furnace, as shown for instance at 29, but I prefer to employ for this purpose preheated air and to effect such preheating of the air in the upper heating zone of the furnace, as for instance by passing itl through a chamber 30 interposed between the arch of one treating chamber and the hearth of a superposed treating chamber in said upper heating zone of the furnace, for by this means I not ony effect the desired preheating ofA the air but I also abstract heat from the arch and hearth and thereby maintain a relatively low temperature in the upper heating v`zone of the furnace, which in suitable bearings in the shaft 3, and I will prevent the overheating of the ore in its passage through the same.

The air heating chamber 30 communicates with a Hue 31 (or any desired number of such lues)l contained in the side walls of the furnace, said flue (or each of the iiues) communicating through suitable stoppered or dampered openings 32 with any desired treating chambers in the lower heating zone of the furnace, and preferably also communicating through similar stoppered or dampered openings 33 with one or more of the heating chambers 27 in order to facilitate or improve the combustion of the heating gases therein.

I claim:

1. A roasting or like furnace having primary and secondary heating members, means for preventing flow of gas from one heating member to the other, means for effecting the discharge of gas from each member independently of the other and a mechanical conveyer for delivering a regulated supply of reagent to the material under treatment in the secondary heating member of the furnace.

2. A roasting or like furnace having a plurality of superposed hearths, one of the hearths in the upper portion of the furnace being 'chambered, means for admitting air to said chamber, and means for conveying the air heated in its passage through said chamber to a treating chamber in the lower portion of the furnace.

3. A roasting or like furnace having a plurality of superposed hearths and presenting primary and secondary members communicating with one another through a passage sealed against the flow of gas, means for stirring or agitating and feeding forward the material'contained in each member of the furnace, and means for feeding a reagent to the material in the secondary mem-- vber of the furnace.

4. A roasting or like furnace having primary and secondary heating members communicating with each other through a passage sealed against the flow of gas, means for stirring or agitating and feeding forward the material contained in each heating member of the furnace, a mechanical conveyer for delivering a regulated supply of a reagent to the material traversing the secondary heating member of the furnace, and means for supplying air to and removing gas from each heating member of the furnace independently. l l

5. A roasting or like furnace having primary and secondary members, means for directly Iheating the primary member, means for muflle heating said secondary member, and means for supplying a reagent to the material which is being treated in the secondary member of the furnace.

6. A roasting or like furnace having primary and secondary members, means for directly heating the primary member, means for muffle heating the secondary member of the furnace, means for supplying a reagent to the material which is being treated in the secondary member of the furnace, and means for introducing air to said secondary member of the furnace.

7 A roasting or like furnace having primary and secondary members, means for djrectly heating the primary member, means for muiie heating the secondary member of the furnace, means for supplying a reagent to the material which is being treated in the secondary member of the furnace, and means for introducing air into and dischargin the gases from said secondary member o the furnace.

8. A roasting or likefurnace having primary and secondary members, means for supplying a reagent to the material which is being treated in the secondary member of the furnace, and means for heating air in the primary member of the furnace and conveying it to the secondary member of the furnace.

9. A roasting or like furnace having primary and secondary members, means for muiile heating the secondary member of the furnace, means for supplying a reagent to the material which is being treated in the secondary member of the furnace, and means for heating air in the primary member of the furnace and conveying it4 to the secondary member of the furnace.

10. A roasting r like furnace having a plurality of Superposed hearths and presenting primary and secondary members in com'- munication with one another, means for feeding a reagent to the material traversing the secondary member of the furnace, and means for heating air in the primary member of the furnace and conveying it to the secondary member of the furnace.

11. A roasting or like furnace having a plurality of superposed hearths andpresenting primary and secondary members in communication with one another, means for muiiie heating the secondary member Gf the lfurnace, means for feeding a reagent o the material traversing the secondary member of the furnace, and means for heating air in the primary member of the furnace and conveying said heated 'air to the member of the furnace.

l2. A roasting or like furnace having a series of superposed treating chambers, each with hearth and arch, an air heating chamber interposed between the arch of one treating chamber and the hearth of the chamber ab0ve-it, and means whereby air heated in said chamber is conveyed to a treating chamber of the furnace for use therein.

13. A roasting or like furnace comprising primary and secondary members, means for muiie heating the secondary member of the furnace, and means for heating air in the primary member of the furnace and conveying said heated air to the secondary member of the furnace.

14. A roasting or like furnace having primary and secondary members, means for mui'le heating the secondary member of the furnace, means `for heating air in the primary member of the furnace, and means for conveying said heated air to the treating chamber or chambers of the secondary member of the furnace and to the heating gas chambers of the muile.

15. A roasting or like furnace having a plurality of superposed treating chambers and presenting primary and secondary members in `communication with one another,

secondary means for muiie heating the lower member of the furnace, and means for heating air in the upper member of the furnace and conveying it to the lower member of the same.

16. A roasting or like furnace having a plurality of superposed treating chambers and presenting primary and secondary members in communication with one another, means for muflie heating the lower member of the furnace, and means for heating air in the upper member of the furnace and conveying said heated air to the treating chamber or chambers of the lower member and to the heating gas chamber or chambers of the mulie.

In testimony whereof, I have name to this specification, two subscribing witnesses.

UTLEY VVEDGE.

signed my 1n the presence of Witnesses;

KATE A. BEADLE, HAMILTON D. TURNER. 

